The Prince and the peasant
by TrueLove-WillWait
Summary: this is my take on what should have happened after Zuko is crowned Fire Lord, what should have happened between him and Katara
1. Chapter 1

**Sorry this is probably a really bad beginning, i didn't know how to start this, but I promise it will get better!**

"All hail Fire Lord Zuko" The fire sage's voice rang out clear for everyone to hear as i kneeled before my subjects to except my crown. Their cheers lifted my spirit, the moment I had waited for my whole life was finally here. I, Zuko, the once banished Prince of the Fire Nation, was now Fire Lord. As i stood and looked around me I saw that warriors from every nation had come here today to witness my crowning moment.

"Fire lord, well this will certainly be a changed won't it?" Katara's voice held a note of humor, but her eyes shone with pride.

"Yes, I suppose it is. No more chases, no more fights, no more long nights of no sleep" I joked looking at Sokka.

"Hey! That was the longest night of my life!" Sokka still gets offensive anytime I mention it. "Besides, would you be able to rest easy knowing that your sister was close to catching you?"

"No, I don't suppose I would. But there is nothing to worry about now. She is locked up for good. Thanks to Katara" I smile at the little blue eyed girl, and think back to that day and how she stopped my sister, and managed to save me. She was so strong, it was no wonder she had so many young men's attention.

"Oh stop, you had just as much to do with that as I did." Katara playfully maybe almost flirtatiously hits my arm.

A sage begins to hesitantly approach our group. "My lord, I wonder if I might have a moment of your time." His pleading gaze is enough to pull me from my friends. As we walk back into the palace I lead him to a small room so that we may talk in private.

"I am terribly sorry to burden you on your special day, but I really must tell you this. There are some who say that you are too young to lead our great nation. I personally believe that such talk is hippo dung, however, I do think that it would be in the best interest of the nation if you were to somehow prove that you are wise beyond your years." His nervous glances at me showed how afraid he was of my reaction to his suggestion.

"How do you suppose I do this?" I used my calmest voice, I appreciate his concern, but now wasn't the time for this I had guests to entertain.

"I don't really know my lord. Perhaps, you could show everyone you were in a serious relationship, maybe even engaged. That would show everyone you can handle a serious situation, and at the same time show how compassionate and caring you can be." His suggestion seemed a bit odd to me but I was going to try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and play along, for awhile at least. I gave him a puzzled look.

"With whom do you suppose I should be engaged to?" My curiosity to figure out who exactly he had in mind got the best of me.

"Well, the young miss Mai would be a lovely choice, however, miss Ty Lee is quite beautiful as well, and she is more popular with the people. More relatable I suppose." He looked up at me, waiting to judge my reaction to his news.

"What if I were to say I had no interest in either of those women? What if I had someone else in mind?" What would people do if they knew how much I had come to love a certain little water bender.

"Well my lord, I suppose any young fire nation woman would do. Who has been lucky enough to catch the eye of our great Fire Lord?"

"A water bender. She is a great master and anyone who is opposed to this girl and myself being joined together will have to answer to me." I gave him a stern look, daring him to question my authority.

"Of course my lord, I must say, that she is a wonderful choice. It will send a message to the world, that you are a man of great honor, and are willing to ally yourself with any nation, even your natural enemy. It is a great sacrifice my lord, but one that will pay off if everything goes well. I wish you and your wife-to-be the best of luck." With a bow he turned to leave.

"I know this goes without saying, but just so that we are on the same page here, do not say anything of this to anyone..." I used my most menacing voice to make sure I made my point.

"Of course my lord, my lips are sealed" I didn't miss the smirk on his lips and it made me feel uneasy. I decided to push the thought out of my mind and return to my friends.

Please Review. let me know how I can make the next chapter better, or if there even should be a next chapter. :P


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two, here goes nothing. This is all from Katara's view.**

The coronation ceremony had just ended when a sage took Zuko away. Shame, I wanted to congratulate him. I suppose that could wait, after all he was now in charge of an entire nation.

"Hey sis, I am going to send a letter to Gran Gran letting her know we will be going home soon. Did you have anything you wanted to say?" Sokka's question pulled me back to my friends.

"Oh, I will just write my own letter to send with Hawky" I have waaaay too much to tell Gran, not only that I didn't need nosey Sokka knowing everything in my life. There are just somethings that are only meant to be seen by other girls.

"This is so exciting! I can't wait to meet your grandmother. Sokka says on our way there we can stop by Kyoshi Island!" Suki seemed awfully excited to be going home, I knew I should be, but for some reason I was sad to be leaving the Fire Nation. This was the place I had come to fear in not just my dreams, but in my waking hours as well. Why was I sad to leave this place?

I noticed Aang walking towards me and I smiled.

"Katara, meeting me in the garden in a half an hour, okay?" He seemed a little red, but it was probably just because of all the clothing he was wearing.

"Yeah, sure thing Aang. Are we going to feed the turtle ducks?" I really liked those little guys. They were so cute, maybe I could as Zuko if I could take a few back with me to the Southern Water Tribe. That way I would always have a reminder of this place.

When Zuko reappeared he invited us all into the palace and told a few servants that were standing around to show us to our rooms. As everyone left I decided to talk to Zuko now since we were mostly alone. I didn't miss Aang looking back over his shoulder and giving Zuko a slight glare. He could be so childish sometimes, it really kind of annoyed me.

"Zuko, I wanted to congratulate you on becoming Fire Lord, I know you have really been looking forward to it. Also, Sokka said that we would be leaving soon. I know he wants to be home again, and with Suki there they will be really happy. I think Aang plans on going with us, but I am going to miss it here. The nice warm weather, the turtle ducks, and the view is absolutely stunning." And I wasn't just talking about the view from my bedroom window either, the view I had of Zuko right now was one that made me never want to leave. "I was wondering if I could take a bit of it home with me. I know Gran would love it, and she would be so thrilled that I had found something I cared so much about" Gosh, those little turtle ducks were so stinking cute. Please let him say 'yes'! I really wish I could bring him back too, wow that would be great. Then Gran would _really _be excited.

** Zuko's view**

Wait, was she asking me to go with them? To the South pole? She does realize that I have just been crowned ruler of an entire nation right? I felt torn, I really want to be with her, but at the same time, I can't just leave the Fire Nation to fend for themselves, right? Would they be fine on their own if I left them for a little while? "Well, I suppose if you really think it is a good idea...I mean the Fire Nation can survive on their own for a little while. When do you guys plan on leaving? I can make sure everything is packed up so nothing is left behind that we might need." She was very blunt about this whole thing, she just invited me to live with her and her family! How could I turn that down? Maybe I could convince her to come back here to live with me after a while.

"Well, I don't know when exactly we will be leaving, but I can pack everything for them. What kind of food do they like? Do they have to live in warm lakes or ponds, or will cold ones be fine?" Her excited gaze confused me, what was she talking about? I like normal food, I don't live in a pond...

"Uh...wait, what exactly were you wanting to take back with you again?" Maybe I had missed something, or heard her wrong.

"A turtle duck silly! I love those things, they are so cute!" She was grinning from ear to ear, but wait, was she seriously asking for a couple of turtle ducks?! Damn, if that doesn't crush a guy's ego I don't know what would.

"Oh, right, turtle ducks...they can live anywhere really. Just keep them warm." I laughed nervously, hopefully she wouldn't notice the awkwardness. Though, knowing her, it wasn't likely she would miss anything.

"What did you think I was talking about?" Her sceptical gaze made me uneasy, she would probably be able to tell if I was lying anyway, so why not just be truthful?

"I was thinking you were asking me to go with you guys, though that was really silly right? How could I leave my nation at a time like this?" Aaaaaakwaaaaard...

"You know Zuko, you are always welcome to join us, even if it is only for a bit. No one would mind, it's great having the group together like this. Who knows when it will happen again?" She seemed really sincere when she said that, it made me happy.

"Are you sure no one would mind? I'm pretty sure Aang would have a problem with me going home with you guys." My joking tone didn't seem to get her laughing, she suddenly seemed rather peeved. Uh-oh.

"UGH! Why does everyone think that Aang and I have to be together?! Just because we kissed a few times doesn't mean anything! So what that we travel together?! No one seems to care that I travel with my brother and you! Why is it always 'Katara and Aang' or 'Aang and Katara'?! It's so frustrating! I don't even really like him, he is just a kid. I don't want to feel like a babysitter while I am on a date."

Well this was certainly news to me, I knew the kid liked Katara, but I always envied him because I thought she returned those feelings towards him.

"Have you tried to tell him this? He really likes you, but maybe you could tell him you want to try out your other options." My calming tone seemed to sooth her.

"Ha, what other options, I will probably just have to settle for him anyway, I would probably scare off any watertribe guys that finds me attractive, just by being a fighter. All of their women are healers, no one wants a fighter as a wife." Her solemn look made it hard to look directly at her, I just wanted to carry her away and tell her how much I love her.

"You do have other options you know. You don't have to go back with them, stay here. With me. You can live here in the palace, have so many servants you don't know what to do with them all." Gosh I really hope I didn't just make a fool of myself.

"Seriously? Live with you? How long would I be able to stay? I don't want to impose or anything. What would Mai think? Haha, she would probably try to kill me if she thought there was anything between us."

"You can stay as long as you'd like, forever if you wish. I can handle Mai, all you need to worry about is getting rid of Aang." Well...this wasn't exactly how I had planned to ask her to live with me, but it seemed to be working.

"What's the catch? Do I have to tend to _your _every whim? Do I have to live in the stable?

"No catch, you don't have to be my slave, and you may sleep in whichever room of the palace you'd like."

"Any room? Even your room?" Her reply was very flirtatious, even for her. I really doubted she would choose my room, but I would absolutely love it if she did.

"As long as I still get half of the bed." I said with a wink, and she started giggling.

"Alright then, you have yourself a deal. I will stay with you in the palace and share your room. As long as you promise me Mai doesn't try to kill me." Her humorous tone lightened the mood that had started to grow rather serious through our discussion.

She said yes! She is even going to stay in my room! The joy I felt was so great I just wanted to jump around grinning like a fool. The only thing I aloud to show was a small smile. I nodded my head and said "Well then, I will go find Mai." As I turned from her, I heard her sigh contently, and giggle. Smiling like an idiot I started my search through the palace to find my soon to be ex-girlfriend. Oh great spirits, be with me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks ****so ****much ****for ****reading ****and ****reviewing ****everyone****! :) ****I ****appreciate ****it****, ****though ****I ****have ****no ****idea ****how ****to ****continue ****parts ****of ****this ****story****, ****if ****you ****have ****any ****ideas ****feel ****free ****to ****leave ****a ****comment****, ****or ****inbox ****me****! :)**

**Katara****'****s ****view****:**

_Oh __gosh__, __had __I __really __just __agreed __to __living __with __the __Fire __Lord__?! __I __agreed __to __stay __in __his __room__! __With __him __in __it__! __Oh __gosh__, __oh __man__...__why __did __I __do __that__?_ _As __I __walked __through __the __palace __I __looked __in to __the __garden__, __and __those __little __turtle __ducks__,_ _those __dang __things__, __if __they __weren__'__t __so __cute __I __wouldn__'__t __be __in __this __stupid __mess__. __OH __CRAP__! __I __had __agreed __to __meet __Aang __almost __ten __minutes __ago__! __Crap __I__'__m __late__! _

As I sprinted through the garden I found Aang leaning against a tree by the turtle duck pond. He looked up as he heard me approach.

"I'm...sorry I'm...late" I gasped between breaths.

"Haha, that's okay. I just wanted to talk to you. I actually had a question for you." His nervous laugh made me feel uneasy. It's that dang laugh guys get when they are about to do something incredibly awkward. I groaned inwardly.

"Okay, what's up?" _Pretend __it__'__s __just __a __normal __question__, __like__ '__How __was __your __day__?' __anything __normal__!_

"So I know we are suppose to be going back to our original homes soon, but I don't exactly have anybody to go home to. How would you feel if I were to go home with you and Sokka?" _Ugh__, __it __is __an __awkward __question__..._

"I'm sure Sokka wouldn't mind. In fact, he would probably enjoy it. I know he thinks of you as his little brother. But, I should probably tell you something. I won't be returning home with you guys, you see, Zuko offered me a place to stay. I didn't really want to go all the way home and freeze my butt off, I like it here. So I am going to stay a while longer, but I will come home in a few months." I gave a small smile, and hoped he wouldn't overreact about me staying with Zuko.

"Zuko said what?! How could you even consider staying here? Katara, you have to go back to the Southern Water Tribe, they need you there. Why can't you just come back with us now and visit Zuko later?" _Aren__'__t __monks __suppose __to __be __calm __all __the __time__?_ _This __one __certainly __wasn__'__t__... _

"What's the big deal Aang? I already told Zuko I would stay with him. Look I'm sorry that this upsets you, but there are other things more important to me right now than going home to see Gran Gran. For the past year everything Sokka and I have done was to help you save the world. I'm tired of putting everybody else first. I want someone to ask what I want. Where I want to go. I want to stay up really late, and sleep in, because I don't have to worry about someone chasing us around, or trying to get you ready before Sozin's Comet. I want to be free to do whatever I want, and do whatever I want. I am growing up, and before long I will have adult responsibilities, but I want to enjoy being young. I am staying in the Fire Nation Aang, that is final." _I __felt __bad __I __had __lashed __out __at __him__, __but __I __am __tired __of __keeping __my __true __feelings __to __myself__. __Someone __has __to __know __how __I __feel__. _

"I understand Katara, I get it. You have always been there for me, and now I will be here for you. I am going to stay with you until you are ready to go home." His calm tone did the opposite of calming me. I really didn't want this kid to stay here with me. I don't know why exactly, but I just wanted to be alone with Zuko. _oh __gosh__! __did __I __really __just __think __that__?! __Alone __with __Zuko__? __Seriously__?! __You__'__re __losing __it __Katara__. _

"Aang, I don't mean to be rude, but I just kind of need some time alone for a bit. I hope you understand. I just really need this. You should go back with Sokka and the others." _Can__'__t __this __kid __take __a __hint__? _

His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at me suspiciously. "Oh, I get it. You need _'__alone __time__' _ with Zuko. You want everyone else to just disappear from your life so you can spend time with him. Well, when he hurts you, just know, I will always be waiting for you. You know where to find me." His cold tone sent a stone of guilt to the pit of my stomach. I had to fight tears as I watched him take off into the sky. _I __will __not __cry __over __this__. __I __will __not __cry __over __this__. _I sat down with my knees pulled to my chest and my head down. I could feel each tear that spilled over and started falling down my face. _why __are __you __crying __Katara__? __Seriously__, __there __is __nothing __to __cry __about__. __So __Aang __is __a __bit __upset__? __You __knew __he __would __be__. __Think __of __all __the __time __you __will __be __able __to __spend __with __Zuko __once __everyone __leaves__. _More tears started spilling down my face. _Oh __come __on__, __you __are __beginning __to __act __like __the __actress __in __the __Ember __Island __Players__. __Do __you __really __want __more __people __thinking __that __you __cry __over __everything__? __Snap __out __of __it__! _I sniffed and wiped my face with my sleeve. I looked up and saw the turtle ducklings playing with each other in the pond. Their mother was carefully watching them, glancing between them, and then looking around the garden to make sure there were no immediate threats to her babies. I watched as one broke away from the others and started swimming towards me. I reached down a finger towards it and felt its little head brush softly against my hand. Gently picking it up I placed it in my lap, so that the mother could still see it was unharmed. I started to pet the little duckling. Murmuring soft words to it.

Eventually it was time for me to leave. Placing the duckling back in the pond I promised to return tomorrow with food. I watched it swim back to the family and sighed with contentment. _I __should __probably __find __someone __and __ask __them __where __my __new __room __is__. _

As I walked through the corridor I heard two voices coming from close by. One of which sounded like a woman's and was rather angry.

"What do you mean you want me to leave?! Are you seriously breaking up with me!? Let me tell you something Zuko, I have been through alot of shit because of you. You think you can just tell me to leave and I will go quietly out of your life? Think again. I will make sure you regret this. Mark my words Zuko. You. Will. Regret. This." The way the woman finished her sentence sent a chill down my spine. Whoever Zuko was talking to was someone I should probably stay away from. If this is the way they speak to the Fire Lord, they would definitely hate me, a "poor_water __tribe __peasant__". _I had stopped walking and waited until I was sure I couldn't hear the other woman as she stormed away before continuing down the hall. As I rounded the corner I almost ran into Zuko_. _

"Sorry." He mumbled without looking up.

"Come on now Zuko, as Fire Lord I would expect you to be walking around the palace with your head high." I tried a teasing tone to see if I could cheer him up after his last conversation.

"Oh! Katara! I didn't realize it was you." He looked genuinely surprised to see me standing there.

"Well yeah, what other person walks around the Fire Nation palace in a water tribe dress? Speaking of, if I am going to be living here for a while do you think I could get a few traditional Fire Nation dresses? I don't want to stand out so much." Maybe I could take his mind of things.

"Yeah sure. No problem. Follow me, I will take you to the seamstress. She will get you measured and have some new clothes for you by tomorrow morning." He turned without looking back as he lead me down the hallway.

**What ****do ****you ****guys ****think****? ****Please ****leave ****a****re view ****so ****I ****know ****how ****to ****improve****! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for reading everyone! I am really excited about where I am going to take this story, but getting there will be a struggle. I can always use some fresh ideas. :)**

Katara's View:

After Zuko lead me to the seamstress he turned and left the room. The women, who introduced herself as Lia, was busying herself rushing around the room grabbing different measuring tapes, and pieces of cloth. After taking my measurements she stood in front of me with three swatches of cloth. All of them a beautiful dark scarlet red. The first one she held up to me had beautiful golden swirls in it that shined and flickered in the sun, the second had black running through it in an elegant pattern, and the last had a dark purple bordering it.

"Ma'am, which of these do you like?" She spoke softly, with her head and eyes lowered, not willing to look directly at me.

"Oh gosh, I think they all look wonderful. Is it possible to have an assortment of these as my dresses?" I had never had such a wide variety of clothing to choose from in my wardrobe I was quite excited.

"Of course Lady Katara. You may have whatever you like, you need only to ask." She bowed to me and turned to leave.

"Excuse me, Lia, do you happen to how I can get to the Firelords bedchamber from here?" I blushed slightly at how bold this was to ask of her, what would she think of me? I just asked her how to get into her masters bedroom! Gosh, she was going to think I was a streetwalker or something. I am so embarrassed I just did that.

"Oh, uh. Yes you go out this door and make a left, follow it down until you are forced to go left or right and then go right follow that through until you reach the doors. His is the only room in that wing of the Palace so you can't miss it." She bowed to me then disappeared into a little room branching off of the one I was in.

I hopped down of the chair I had been standing on and made my way out of the room. _Okay, she said to go left first, then right. _I walked quietly, lost in thoughts about how Gran Gran was doing, and what life would be like without all of my friends around me all day. I passed through many large and open rooms on the way the Zuko's room. When I started walking down a long straight hallway I began to realize I was being followed. I heard someone walking fairly quickly behind me and began to pick up my pace. I could see two large doors at the far end of the hallway, there was no mistaking that those were _his_ bedroom doors. _Who would be following me here? _I started to turn around to see who was behind me when suddenly I found myself pinned to the wall and staring into a pair of rather hostile eyes. I felt an arm on my neck pressing me to the wall and the sharp cold pain of a knife under my chin.

"Mai, what are you doing?" My voice came out as a soft whisper.

"This is _your_ fault! Because of _you_ I am losing everything I have worked so hard to achieve." She hissed at me. _What was she talking about? _

"Mai you're wrong. I haven't done anything to you." _This girl is as crazy as Azula._

"Zuko broke up with me you _peasant_! I know it's for good this time. He has you now, I warned him. I warned him something bad would happen to him if he did this to me. At the time I didn't know what, but now I do. He values you, why is beyond me, but he cares what happens to you. If you were gone it would crush him and he would have to come back to me." Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, she looked so proud of her plan. My stomach was turn into knots and I felt sick.

"So you are just going to kill me? Then what? What happens when Zuko finds out it was you? He won't come back to you after he knows the truth." I glared at her, maybe pissing her off wasn't the best thing to do right now but I couldn't help it. _She can't honestly believe he would come back to her after she murdered me!_

"I will cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I will deal with _you, _just by you being here I can feel you contaminating us with your _filth._" I felt myself being whipped around until I was kneeling on the ground with my back to her. I felt my hair being ripped upwards as she pulled my head back exposing my neck. _Quick! I need water! Why is there no water around here?! I can't go down without fighting back! _ I felt the cool blade of her knife begin to make small shallow cuts into my flesh. _Oh gosh, she is going to drag this out. She is going to torture me to death. _As I struggled against her I felt her hold on me only tighten. "That's right, keep fighting. It will only push my knife farther into you" As if to add emphasis she pushed harder into my throat. I couldn't help it, i cried out slightly. I was starting to feel blood running down my shirt, I had to suppress a shudder that ran down my spine at the thought of my own blood being spilled out around me. I could feel myself slipping away as the darkness started to close around my vision. I felt my muscles relax and I felt like I was floating. Everything began to get peaceful and I warm. I just wanted to lie down and take a nap. I didn't notice I was lying down until I saw the pool of blood around me on the floor. _How strange, I don't remember lying down or falling, how did I get down here? _I could faintly hear voices somewhere above me they sounded angry. _How could anyone be upset right now? Everything is so peaceful here. _There was a loud crash and I felt the floor vibrate beneath me as something fell to the floor. Then I saw _his _face, staring at me, I could see his mouth moving as he spoke, but I heard no words. I closed my eyes and gave into the darkness that was pulling at me, content now that I knew Zuko was with me.

**Well...how is it going? I am super sorry this took forever, school is such a drag...**


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